Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images |
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| 2005 Season |
| Final Points Standing | 15th
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| After First 26 Races | 16th
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| Earnings | $5,338,232
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| Starts | 36
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| Poles | 1
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| Wins | 1
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| Top 5 | 4
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| 6-10 | 3
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| Laps Led | 4
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| Lead Lap Finishes | 23
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| Bonus Points | 15
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| Races Led | 3 |
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| 2005 Performance |
| Below is the ranking of the team on each type of track along with the driver's best finish. |
| Track Type | Ranking |
| Flat Tracks | 15th
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| Best Finish | 9th, Phoenix
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| Intermediate Tracks | 19th
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| Best Finish | 8th, Lowe's
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| Plate Tracks | 2nd
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| Best Finish | 1st, Talladega
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| Road Courses | 9th
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| Best Finish | 5th, Infineon
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| Short Tracks | 30th
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| Best Finish | 5th, Bristol |
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2006 Spin
Dale Jarrett welcomes his fourth crew chief in the last two seasons as Richard “Slugger” Labbe comes on board as one of the two new chiefs at Robert Yates Racing. Jarrett will also welcome new cars, as the Ford teams switch to the new Fusion.
Both are welcome, as the RYR teams have fallen behind in the aero department. It is hoped that Labbe, who has worked in the organization before and more recently with Michael Waltrip and Jeremy Mayfield, will bring a spark to the chassis and aero side of the operation.
As for the driver, Jarrett still has the competitive fire and the ability to challenge for wins on the circuit. What has been missing is the chemistry within the team. When a driver goes through three crew chiefs in one season, it may not be the chiefs' fault. Not to discredit DJ. He is a champion and has earned the right to call certain shots the way he sees them. Much like Rusty Wallace in the last two or three years, Yates needs a crew chief who can tell Jarrett what he needs to hear — not what he wants to hear.
This team is full of potential and could be the bunch that busts up our rankings. We see a continuation of last season, with a win being attainable but certainly not guaranteed.
2006 Recap
On the cusp. That one line sums up Dale Jarrett's 2005 campaign. The UPS crew finished all but three laps in its first 10 races but still found itself on the outside looking in. Not able to get the team jumpstarted, Yates made a crew chief change, replacing Mike Ford with Billy Wilburn.
Consecutive top 5 runs at Infineon and Daytona in the summer moved the team from 15th to 10th in points and had it set up for a strong second half run to the Chase.
Unfortunately, it was not to be. In the 11 races between the Daytona top 5 and the Talladega win in October, DJ was assigned another crew chief in Todd Parrott but only managed an average finish of 22.4.
The year got darker still, as Jarrett reeled off three consecutive finishes of 30th or worse and dipped to 17th in the standings.
All told, Jarrett led in only three events for four laps. His four top 5s and seven top 10s earned him a 15th-place points finish for the second year in a row.
• The Good: Talladega! DJ was competitive all day, starting second and earning his first win since February of 2003.
• The Bad: A team that leads just four laps all season is in trouble. Take out the win and this team had three top 5s on the season. That is just short of ugly.
• The Ugly: Jarrett's frustrations came to a head in the August Bristol race, when Ryan Newman spun him. DJ returned the favor after repairs to his car, dumping Newman's lead lap car and ending his night.
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